1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a bread maker, and more particularly, to a bread maker with an improved rotation structure between kneading drums.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, making bread is so complicated that it is difficult for an average person to manually make satisfactory bread at home. That is, making the bread is complicated because multiple steps are involved including mixing raw materials such as flour, sugar, baking powder, etc. to form a dough; kneading the dough; leavening the dough; baking the dough; and so on.
Therefore, a bread maker has been developed that allows a user to easily make bread. The bread maker automatically performs the foregoing multiple steps and provides finished bread to the user.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a conventional bread maker includes a main body 100 divided into an oven compartment 110 and an electric component compartment 130, a door 300 in the front of the main body 100 to open and close the oven compartment 110, and a control panel (not shown) provided in the front of the electric component compartment 130 to allow a user to control the bread maker.
Inside the oven compartment 110, upper and lower kneading drums 150 and 170 are provided in parallel. The upper and lower kneading drums 150 and 170 have a plurality of projections 157 and 177 that engage a plurality of holes in upper and lower ends of a bag (not shown) filled with raw materials ingredients for preparing the bread. The projections 150 and 170 engage the holes in the bag to wind the bag in clockwise and counterclockwise directions. The upper and lower kneading drums 150 and 170 are rotatably connected to upper and lower opposite inner-walls of the main body 100 using respective bearings 111.
Between the upper and lower kneading drums 150 and 170 is provided a baking tray 113 in which the dough is contained for baking. On the inside walls of the main body 100 and the door 300 are respective heaters 115 for heating the baking tray 113.
Beside the oven compartment 110 is the electric component compartment 130. Inside the electric component compartment 130 are a drum driving part 133, including a motor 133b incorporated with a gear reducer 133a to rotate the lower kneading drum 170 in clockwise and counterclockwise directions, and a belt 135 connecting the upper and lower kneading drums 150 and 170 to transmit a rotary movement from the lower kneading drum 170 to the upper kneading drum 150. The drum driving part 133 and the lower kneading drum 170 are connected by a coupler 131.
With the conventional configuration, the process of setting up the bag on the upper and lower kneading drums 150 and 170 is performed as follows.
First, the holes provided in the upper end of the bag engage with the projections 157 of the upper kneading drum 150, and then the bag is wound on the upper kneading drum 150 by rotating the drum driving part 133. At this time, the bag is wound only enough to place the lower end of the bag at the projections 177 of the lower kneading drum 170. Then, the holes provided in the lower end of the bag engage with the projections 177 of the lower kneading drum 170, thereby completing the setting up process.
However, in the conventional bread maker, because the upper and lower kneading drums 150 and 170 are mechanically bound with the drum driving part 133, the projections 157 of the upper kneading drum 150 are rotated depending upon the rotary movement of the projections 177 of the lower kneading drum 170. Hence, if the holes provided in the lower end of the bag deviate from the projections 177 of the lower kneading drum 170 because, for example, the bag is not wound sufficiently to place the lower end of the bag at the projections 177 of the lower kneading drum 170, the user must restart the setting up process.
Further, in the conventional bread maker, the drum driving part 133 must be operated to remove the bag from the bread maker, which increases electric power consumption.